Atlanta United linked to Argentine central midfielder

After failing to follow through on Tata Martino’s hope to sign a central midfielder in the spring transfer window, it looks like Atlanta United may be back in the hunt for some reinforcements this summer. Leonel Cerrudo, an Argentine soccer journalist and radio host, says Atlanta is interested in signing Ivan Rossi from River Plate.

According to lapaginamillionara.com, Ivan Rossi has not settled in well at River Plate since making a move from a smaller side, Banfield, in 2016. Rossi’s move to River was for a reported $3.16 million. This article indicated that Rossi’s preferred move would be a return to Banfield, but it’s unclear whether Banfield can afford the player, even on loan, since he’s now on a higher wage.

Dirty South Soccer profiled Rossi in it’s offseason scouting series:

Rossi looks to me like a young Carlos Carmona. He’s aggressive, rangy, works hard and always in the middle of the action.

It’s hard to know exactly why Rossi is unsettled at River — whether that’s due to an inability to acclimatize or if he’s simply unable to beat out other players for a spot in the squad. If it’s the former, it’s probably unlikely Rossi will be wanting to leave to go to a new country. But if it’s the latter, Atlanta might be willing to take their chances. Rossi has only appeared in 13 games with 8 starts in nearly two years at River, so this seems like a player who will definitely be on the move somewhere.